


Miracle

by thebatjokesonyou



Category: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (Webseries)
Genre: Adoption, Baby Doi, Becoming Parents, Childbirth Death, Complete, Duck and Mop become Dads, Gay Parents, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Illness, Pre June 19th, Robin/Duck, Roy is a monster, Roy is delusional, Two Parter, parental abandonment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 18:52:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16434914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebatjokesonyou/pseuds/thebatjokesonyou
Summary: Before the calendar was stuck on June 19th, a baby was born and changed several lives forever.





	1. Robin and Harry

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo this is gonna be a two parter that's basically just about a little yellow baby. Both of these are gonna be kinda heavy and bring up heavy topics (we all know DHMiS isn't always rainbows and butterflies and if they are, they may not always be as kind as they appear) so do be aware of that. 
> 
> This first part is going to be much fluffier than the other one! 
> 
> Harry - Red Guy  
> Wanda - Red Guy's Sister (just an OC I have because I feel like Harry has a bunch of family members)  
> Robin - Duck Guy  
> Doi - Yellow Guy  
> Shrignold - Love Teacher (Currently a figment of imagination)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Harry meet someone new.

Harry and Robin were dreading today. It was Tuesday, November 3rd when Wanda had decided to take the couple who'd just graduated from college with her on a trip she thought would be rather fun. 

"Wanda, I don't think we're the right people for this sort of thing. Why couldn't you wait for your husband to come back home?" Robin asked, sitting in the backseat alone as his boyfriend sat upfront. It was making him a little fidgety not to have Harry beside him since he was already so full of anxiety. 

"Well, what if the perfect child wasn't there by the time he came back? Robin, you've got to realize that people go to orphanages and the like all the time! They could see our preciousness and swoop them up instead!" Wanda, who was a light, bright orange and slightly taller than her brother, drove the car as quickly as she could, eager to get to their destination. 

Harry rolled his eyes, leaning on the door door as he looked outside. His older sister and her husband had gone baby crazy after a year of being married and she insisted on adopting a child before she had one of her own. As such, they'd spent weeks searching through place after place but this week, her husband was on a business trip, leaving Harry and Robin to fill the usual "male perspective" spot. Which felt a little sexist, if you asked Harry. But his older sister never asked for him to do something. She commanded. "It's alright, Robin. It's just one trip. I'm sure it won't be all that bad." 

The orphanage itself was rather ordinary in appearance and yet, it seemed to harbor a lonely feeling. There were drawings of children attached to the fence but no children playing outside. Toys scattered on the grass and rusty playground structures devoid of little ones running about. The building was gray with light decorations and a sign proclaiming it's official name had colorful letters against yet another gray background. 

"How...charming." Robin lied through his teeth, his anxiety only ramping up from the depressing scene before him. "Wanda, are you sure you want to look here? I'm sure there's much nicer places to try and find a child." He walked with them anyways, quickly taking Harry's hand when he noticed it was available. 

Wanda let out a dismissive sound, waving her hand around. "I've looked practically everywhere else nearby! I'd have to go entirely outside of the city to find another place! Besides, just because it looks a little scary doesn't mean the kids are scary too." She reminded him, walking past a chewed up firetruck. 

Harry squeezed Robin's hand in assurance as they entered the building, soon greeted by a woman in gray clothing who looked tired but relieved to see them. "Hello. I'm Harry and this is Robin and Wanda. I'm sure you heard about us through Wanda's phone call." He was there when she practically dragged the two into her activity, his sister blabbing on about how they were going to help her find the "missing link in her family". 

"Yes, I remember. Please, come in. I'm sure the children would be delighted to meet you all." The employee gave them her best smile trying and failing to hide a yawn as she guided them over to a nearby room.

Robin felt his heart jolt at the realization he'd soon be in the presence of several orphaned children, all of them looking to him to provide them with a home. "May I use your restroom?" 

•••

"Hiding won't do me any good." Robin insisted, having locked himself away in a one man bathroom without using it for a good ten minutes. "I can't just leave Harry and Wanda alone, she'll drive him mad! And then Harry will be in a bad mood all day and I won't be able to properly cheer him up. I need to go and face my problems like a man! Or um." He bit his lip, curling in on himself as he hugged himself. "Maybe it would be better to stay in here." 

"Why do that, Robin? You know that's not quite fair to anyone."

The duck sat up abruptly before he recognized the voice. "Leave me alone, Shrignold. I don't want to speak to you right now, I hardly ever want to speak to you at all. Pesky bee." Robin huffed, going to the sink to wash his hands again. In the state this bathroom was in, washing his hands several times was probably the smartest choice to make. 

Shrignold soon fluttered right beside Robin before making his way in front of the mirror, trying to catch the other's attention. "You used to be them, once upon a time. Don't you remember, Robin? I think you do. They're just as lost as you were when you ran away." 

Robin growled, washing his face and turning away. "I don't care about any of that. I got a new home, I moved on with my life and that was two decades ago so quite frankly, I don't care anymore. I just don't want to be around a bunch of filthy cretins and pretend like I could ever save any of them." 

"Poor little Robin. Oh wait, I'm sorry. Poor little Shriggin. That was what you thought your name was, remember? You still thought you'd get to change it even though you didn't go through with the ceremony. But I don't blame you." Shrignold's sweet face had a devilish smirk on it. "It was Mumsy and Daddy's fault you didn't get what you deserved. Those two were nothing more than traitors to the group and what did they do to 'protect' you? Abandoned you in a place just like this one. I bet they didn't even love you." 

Robin let out a squawk of indignation, about to argue before he stopped, sighing out. "I'm not doing this again, I'm not letting you rile me up and send me into another panic attack. You're just a figment of imagination, period! I shouldn't even be talking to you." He straightened his coat, ready to get to Harry and leave.

Shrignold giggled, sitting on the sink and kicking his legs like a child, posing innocently with his hands in his lap. "We would have loved you, Robin. We could have loved all the children in this place, if you hadn't ruined it! But there's still a chance, you know. You learned all our stories and teachings. You could make a place for them, write more than silly books about romance and superstition. You could write books with real influence, give all of them a home." He flew up, gliding closer to Robin to whisper to him. "Don't they all deserve to be love-" 

Robin suddenly heard a cry outside the door, a loud wail that only an infant could make. He quickly left the bathroom, strangely drawn to the source and soon found himself opening a door down the hall far away from the other, older children. 

A tiny yellow baby with a tuft of blue hair on his head cried and cried, sitting in a dingy wooden crib and proceeded to scream his lungs out over and over. The room itself was rather dark and clearly wasn't meant to be a nursery. It looked more like a torture room from a horror movie rather than where such a small, innocent child would reside. 

Robin's entire heart sank into the floor and he couldn't even stop himself from running in and scooping up the child in a dirty, blue onesie into his arms. "Shhh, there, there, it's okay. You're not alone, I've got you. Robin's got you." The words bubbled out of his mouth without thought as all he wanted was to make this baby feel safe and warm, even giving his head small nuzzles here and there. 

The baby sniffled and clung onto the feathery man, his tear filled eyes shutting as his wails quieted down. With the door open, some light peered into the room and combined with the soft plume of Robin, his heart started beating slower and his breaths were less panicked. 

"It must have been terrifying to wake up in a room alone like this. You poor thing." Robin sat down in a nearby chair, cradling the baby boy with care. He looked down to see two curious eye and a name stitched on the cloth. "Doi. Is that your name? Did I read that right? Oh, well, if it is your name, it's rather cute. Baby Doi. I've got you, Doi." 

Doi stared up with his big blue eyes in wonder, reaching out to touch Robin's beak. He'd never seen such a thing and was surprised when it wasn't soft like the feathers on his body. "Baaa!" He called out to show he had discovered something new. 

Robin couldn't help but laugh at the tiny hand touching the bottom of his mouth. "Yes, I have a beak. I'm a duck. All ducks have feathers and beaks. Duck." He pointed to himself with a spare hand, trying to have Doi make the connection. 

"Buh!" Doi echoed, yelling a little as his soft voice tried to chirp back the word. Noticing that it sounded different than the man's sound, he gave it another try. "Buh! Buh!" He was very proud of his accomplishment, going non stop. He slapped Robin's chest twice, almost as a way of making it more final. "Buh bah!" 

"Bubba?" Robin snickered, a smile on his face. "My name is Robin and I'm a duck. But if it's easier on you, you can call me Bubba." The word sounded odd coming from his mouth but he was still very happy to see the result.

Doi panted hard and fast, clearly excited as he squirmed some, hitting Robin's chest with a strange glee. "Buh! Bah! Buh bah! Buh buh buh!" His hand was meant to have some force behind it but the baby was too tiny for his strikes to actually hurt. It was as if Robin was his big drum and Doi was happy to play it, laughing while he did so. "Buh bah!" 

"Bubba." Robin repeated, pleased to see Doi now in a fit of giggles. "Cheeky little thing you are. You think Bubba's funny? Aw, lookit you. Your hair's so messy." His hand moved to Doi's head, gently ruffling his hair.

Doi smiled at the touch, leaning up to try and get more of the soft textured feathers onto his face, resulting in a bunch of his hand rubbing it briefly which only made the baby snicker. "Ah! Buh!" He insisted on more and soon the hand came back, making him laugh with his toothless mouth wide open.

"Robin?" Harry emerged in the doorway, genuinely shocked to see his boyfriend cradling a probably premature baby, walking over and leaning down to try and get a good look at the little one. "Who is that?" 

The large man made Doi a little nervous and he watched him carefully before some hair landed in Doi's face. Doi tried to see what it was when a few strands tickled his nose, resulting in what was only natural. "Chu!" His face scrunched up before he blinked twice, clapping when he came to his senses and was soon reaching for cords of red to pull on. 

Harry didn't flinch at the many tugs, more used to it from his siblings than he should have been. Instead, he felt his heart melting at the baby's sweet face, his hand gently tugging his hair away from Doi's mouth. "He's awfully cute. Does he belong to anyone?" 

"Not that I know of. I found him here, all alone in the dark." Robin frowned, keeping a careful eye on the infant in his arms. "I've never seen a child his age so small. He's a bit dirty too but he doesn't look or seem sick. He is adorable though. And he already gave me a nickname." 

Doi somehow knew it was his cue, calling out what Robin desired. "Buh bah!" It was a loud, happy squeal and he snatched Harry's mitten like hand to try and eat it up afterwards, loving how squishy it was. "Nom nom..." He gurgled, drooling all over the warm hand that dwarfed his face. 

"I'm not a Nom Nom." Harry flatly disagreed, trying to pull away only to be met with a little growl, making him chuckle. "Now we both have nicknames. You're just lucky yours doesn't make you a living teether." Not that Harry really minded, Doi's concentrated face was making him crack up. 

It was then that Wanda and the employee from earlier appeared, walking in and quickly noticing the trio huddled close to one another, Robin in the chair, Harry looming over and Doi fascinated with both of them. 

Wanda held back a squeal, her hands to her face. "That's the cutest thing I've ever seen! You guys look like a real family, aww!!!" She fanned at herself, sniffling some. "My baby brother having a family of his own, that has to be the most adorable thing I've ever heard! Oh, Mom would love this!" 

Harry and Robin flushed, Robin's more noticeable than his counterpart as he held Doi close to his neck. "Well, I-wait. Why was this baby by himself in some dirty tomb in the dark?! He barely looks a year old!" The duck suddenly questioned, his gaze narrowing at the woman beside Wanda. 

The worker looked astonished, holding her head in her hand and struggling to believe the sight before her. "Truth be told, it's...Doi hasn't stopped crying like this before. It's bizarre but two weeks ago, someone left him on our doorstep with a note and he hasn't stopped crying other than when he sleeps. We've tried everything, been working over time just to try and get him to stop. We still have the other kids to take care of and we were going to send him to a hospital of sorts or anywhere else but even when we try to find him a new home, he cries whenever someone holds him or sets him down. We thought he was sick. It's just been so exhausting, I-I don't think anyone here knows what to do. He must have ended up in this room somehow. No one meant to put him away." 

Robin's gaze softened and he suddenly was reminded that Doi was not his tiny miracle but rather, yet another life lost in a complex system. "Well, he took to me rather quickly. I can't imagine him being too much work for anyone. He really was an angel." Those big blue eyes, soft yellow face and tiny hands holding onto him couldn't be too much work for anyone. Especially not when he had such a cute smile, breathed like a puppy and made the most adorable sounds Robin had ever heard. 

Harry managed to get his hand out of Doi's mouth but put it onto the baby's head instead, stroking his hair back slowly. "Do you know if he has any family members, any at all? His onsie has his name stitched onto it, someone must have cared for him." He couldn't imagine someone not taking to Doi the minute they saw him and his itty bitty nose and to think of anyone throwing this baby away after seeing him for the first time was impossible. 

"The letter his father left us states his mother passed away during birth and that he never wants to see Doi again. If there is anyone else, we may not be able to find nor contact them for awhile. No birth certificate, identification, nothing from him nor the baby. We tried calling around, searching our databases and nothing was successful." The woman further explained, watching Doi reach out and touch Harry and Robin, wanting to be closer to the duo. "I hate to be presumptuous but I take it you two have experience with children?" 

Harry and Wanda met eyes knowingly and it was Wanda who spoke her mind. "Harry and I are from a family of eight, two parents and six kids. Harry's second oldest so you better believe he has plenty of experience with babies. He'd make a great father." She spoke with pride, still watching Doi play and fidget around. 

Harry looked away for a moment before his gaze fell back onto Doi. "I would..." He tried to find the words but found his throat was dry. Seeing Doi made him want to scoop the baby up and tell him how wonderful he was, not try and put him back in that nasty crib and walk away, never to see his sweet face again. 

"We would love to adopt him but we're very new to all this." Robin finished, his heart slamming against his chest. He didn't want to say no. He didn't want to tell Doi he wasn't the most amazing thing in the world. It honestly made Robin want to cry and how anyone could fall in love so quickly with someone who couldn't even talk or walk was beyond him but it had occurred. "I...I don't know if we could but I want..." 

Doi noticed the pair had stopped playing and didn't smile, gazing up to try and figure out what was wrong. He then hit his own chest and called out as loudly as he could. "Buh! Buh!" 

Robin gave a bittersweet laugh, shaking his head. "You're a boy. You're not a duck. Or a monster. You're an itty bitty boy who needs all the love in the world. And I wish I could give that to you but I'm not..." A parent? A mother? What was he supposed to say? What could he say? 

"Buh bah!" Doi pat Robin's chest again, trying to have him say the word. "Buh bah! Buh bah! Buh bah! Bah!" He hiccuped on the last word and this frightened him a little so he curled up onto Robin, tears in his eyes. "Buh bah!" 

Harry could see Robin trembling and it shocked him how torn up he felt himself. Doi wasn't their baby but in the very few minutes they spent with him, it felt like Doi had always been there. Like some part they didn't know was missing was finally in place. "Robin, maybe set him back down and breathe for a second. You look like you're about to pass out." 

Robin nodded mutely in agreement, getting up slowly to set him down into the crib again even though it felt like it burned his bones to do so. "Alright Doi, give me one second. I-I'll be right back, Bubba will be right back, we just need to thi-" 

Doi had been whimpering as he was laid down into the crib but when Robin was about to let go, he let out a deafening cry, reaching up and desperately trying to get closer. Clearly, the crib was bringing him horrible memories or he just hated it with a passion because no matter how close he was to it, it made him distraught beyond all belief, his yellow face turning pink from how flushed it quickly became.

Seeing this, Robin brought him back up into his hold immediately, shushing Doi gently and bouncing him on his shoulder. "No, no, it's okay, Bubba's not gonna leave you there, okay? Um, I-I just need a moment to breathe and-" 

"I'll hold him." Harry promised, sliding Doi out of Robin's hold with care. "Just step out and breathe, Robin. I've got this." He promised, watching Doi calm down as his face was encased in the red jungle that was Harry's hair. 

"Alright." Robin walked out hesitantly, already grieving from the lack of weight in his arms as he stepped into the hall, trying to calm down and assess any of what had happened a few minutes ago.

Wanda walked out with him, noticing the shaking duck against the wall, a few feathers falling from how violent it was. "Robin? Are you alright, do you need something? Anything?" She asked with as much care as she could. It was frightening to see him in this state and she felt like perhaps he couldn't even hear her but it was worth a shot. 

Robin gave out a hard breath, shaking his head. "I want Doi back." Was all he managed to say before he suddenly went on a tangent. "It doesn't make any sense. He's a baby, a very cute one at that but he's not my. My child. He's someone else's and one of them gave up on him while the other died. But I love him so much. I want to take him home, I want to give up the dreams I had over traveling and raise him instead, watch those dumb kiddy shows on the telly, make him breakfast, teach him numbers and letters and even change his diapers. I love Doi. It shouldn't be possible but I do. And I most certainly don't want him to go through the same Hell I did. I know what it's like to live in these places, grow up thinking you're worthless and nobody loves you. How could I ever let any chance of him living that same life occur? I want to take him home." Finally, confused and overwhelmed and strangely happy, Robin started to cry, sliding down the wall and sniffling. "It wouldn't be fair to Harry but even if I had to do it on my own, I'd do anything to make it work. This is insane, I'm insane. But I love him, I do." 

Wanda gave a small sigh, sitting down on the ground and throwing an arm around her future brother in law. "You're not crazy for loving a baby like that. It's in our nature! Parents fall in love with babies the first time they see them and you and Harry did the same thing with Doi. I think that's beautiful. Look, if you did decide to walk out with him today, even if Harry couldn't handle it, Jerry and I would do everything we could to support you. I'm jealous, actually. What you and Harry have now, a baby that wants to spend time with you and wants your love, is all I've wanted for awhile. But I guess the perfect child isn't here for me, he's here for you. My opinion might be kinda biased but I think you should adopt him. Get him out of that terrifying room. No one here knows how to take care of him but I think you do. You could love him more than anyone else here could. I think you love him more than all of us combined, really." 

Harry walked over, clearing his throat. "Well, I know you two were having a discussion but someone wanted to see you, Robin." He motioned to the fidgety but not distraught baby pouting in Harry's arms. 

Doi continued to squirm a little, frustrated until he saw Robin again, his eyes lighting up and his breath doing the same. "Buh! Bah! Buh bah!!!" His hands reached out, trying to grab him as best they could even if he was nowhere near the duck. 

Robin shot up and quickly held him close and tight, smiling brightly. "I missed you too, Doi." 

It was Tuesday, November 3rd when Robin and Harry decided to take home one tiny baby named Doi. 

•••

With Harry newly employed and Robin doing editorial work on an online news-site at home, it was difficult but not impossible to support each other. 

Doi was now officially 1 year and 3 months old. Not that he, nor his parents knew that but on this special day, there was going to be a children's show premiering that had a lot of buzz behind it. That show being Pepper Avenue. 

Robin and Harry had heard of the program and how it coincided with one of their eating times. Doi was a sweet, sweet baby boy but he was often fussy when it came time to eat due to being set in a high chair and not being able to be touched or played with while everyone ate. He couldn't help his boredom or noticing his Bubba and Da doing things without him and thus, a TV program Doi could actually watch to ease him at that time was a blessing. 

Doi was currently playing with a learning toy, hitting buttons with certain pictures on it. 

The machine spoke for him as well. "Say, Cat!" 

"Cah!" Doi echoed back, hitting the other button to try and get a response out of it.

"Say, Hat!" 

"Ha!" Doi shouted, not having found his inside voice quite yet. He then hit the last button of his choice. 

"Say, Bat!" 

"Bubba!" Doi misconstrued before he looked back to see a large camera being held by the man he'd called. "Bubba!" His little fingers reached out and found a big hand for him to hold. 

"Ohhh, Doi, you're so precious! Bubba's just glad there's technology to capture it." Robin coo'd, setting down his precious object before picking up his even more precious son, briefly looking down at his watch. "5 minutes 'till, Harry! I don't mean to rush but are you almost done with lunch?" 

Harry emerged from the kitchen, wearing a large pink apron and holding several plates of food on a tray. "Just about. Doi's is done and ours just need drinks. You wanna strap him down?" 

Robin reached the high chair and watched Doi's sweet demeanor fade away as they neared it, the little boy whining and trying to escape. "Doi, no. We've had this talk before, high chairs are safe and when it's a Nom Nom time, you have to sit in one. Don't give me that look, Mister. I'm not budging on this one." He set Doi into the contraption, doing his best to ignore the boy's angry cries and squirms before he was done. 

Doi gave both of his parents the stink eye when they saw him, his little fists clenched and his jaw set in absolute fury. "BAA BAA BAA!" His anguished war cry did it's best to convey a feeling of rage and betrayal. They knew how much he hated this thing, even if he got yummy Nom Noms sometimes. But they even made him eat yucky things to rub salt in his wound! It hurt him deeply. Even as his Da put his favorite green bib with a dump truck on him, he maintained his position, trembling with all the fire of Hades inside him. And formula. That too. 

Robin snickered as he turned on the telly, having angled it so Doi could see it where he was. "Alright, Doi. Pepper Ave will be on in two minutes. Lets see if you take to it." He grinned, going back to the table and watching Doi's cheeks turn red from how puffed out they were. "Awww, he's so cute when he's mad!" 

"Correction; He's always cute, Robin." Harry clarified, walking over with a tray and setting down Doi's food out of throwing reach, Robin's food right in front of him and his own across from his still boyfriend, hopefully soon-to-be fiancé. He made sure to sit where Doi could still have a clear view of the telly and while a commercial went off, he adjusted his seat as best he could, stopping when what sounded like a theme song started. 

Doi enjoyed the music and seeing all those colorful faces singing and smiling made him forget he was in his least favorite spot in the house besides the changing table. "Ah bah! Bah!" He clapped a little, not entirely aware of what this was or what was going on. All he knew was that he liked the very colorful friends song and very much liked the big and sparkly words Pepper Avenue.


	2. Roy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy takes care of his problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to preface this by saying Roy is extremely broken and has lost a lot. It's not justification for his actions but it's just to explain what's going on and why he is the way he is and to warn you about his actions. 
> 
> Also, the end of this is inspired by one of the pictures in Doi's (Yellow Guy's) scrapbook in Dreams/DHMiS 6.

It wouldn't stop crying.

Roy was going to lose his mind. It was a year old and the baby-the thing wouldn't stop crying. Every day, he fed it and made sure it wasn't sick and it wailed and wailed unless he let it hold his hand. Roy couldn't stand to touch it. The vermin who kept reaching out and making what sounded like screeching in his ears. 

The parasite that killed his wife. 

Lilly was so beautiful, she'd been always been a flower in a field of weeds. Her smiles brightened up rooms, her voice brought comfort to everyone. She had loved to express herself through art and song, even when she was barely able to move from the demon sucking out her soul, she still sang and drew, no longer for herself but in praise of the disease plaguing her. 

Roy wouldn't be fooled by it. No matter what anyone said, his family, the people who claimed to be his friends, it was not his child. It was a blight on this world who'd taken away the only good thing in it. 

The apartment was quickly going to hell. There were multiple infestations, piles of trash and the bills were being paid by people Roy no longer gave a shit about who insisted on him moving on and letting his pain subside. 

His mother had the gall to tell him that Lilly had left behind a miracle, something to be treasured and viewed fondly. That so many people left this world with nothing to give. 

It was not something to cherish. Roy knew. He knew he was right, that the thing had managed to lure them under his spell but Roy could see through it's deception. 

A year spent with it, trying to please it if only to respect his wife's wishes, proved to Roy how they'd been wrong. He hadn't grown to love it, he hadn't had some tender moment where all he wanted was to stay with it for all it's horrid lifespan. Roy loathed it, hated it. Wished nothing but suffering upon it. 

But it still wanted to be close to Roy, it would still cry and cry when no one touched it. It wailed for every reason imaginable and Roy had lost all patience left for it. 

It wouldn't shut up. It kept crying and crying, this mistake, this wretched, disgusting creature who dared to have his beloved's eyes. 

Roy hadn't gone to his Lilly's funeral. He refused to see what it had made her. He didn't want to see Lily like that, never again. 

Before she had given herself up, when they'd been informed three months ago how this could destroy her entirely, Roy had imagined different scenarios but in all of them, she was the picture of beauty when she passed, quiet and content. 

The real thing was nowhere near as beautiful. She had screamed and screamed, gripping Roy's hand and sobbing with pain before she stopped, gave her husband a look of relief, surprise and understanding and then stopped breathing, her eyes open and blank as the sound of new life filled the room. 

Roy could never forgive it. Never. Lilly had given up 9 months to it, been gentle and sweet and kind as she always was. He'd watched her, helped her create her own poison. She had been so happy, so hopeful that she too would survive, that she would be able to see her own creation and it had robbed her of even that. 

It was finally quieting down, exhausted. Good. It should have learned by now that Roy wouldn't fall for such tricks. 

Roy couldn't stand it, not even in the slightest. Suddenly, a burning hot rage went through him, invigorating him to get up and take it out of the crib he'd built a lifetime ago, instead putting him in a basket that one of the baby-shower gifts had come in. He made his way down the steps, gripping the handle and to his pick-up truck, putting it in the passenger seat and buckling it up so it wouldn't fall out.

That would be too merciful. 

Roy got in the front seat, revving up the car keys he always had on him and drove away from the building. His neighbours, the fucking harpies, had been peeking and poking more often, Roy always hearing rumours swirling around him and "the poor boy", "the little baby", "the wee thing" and understood that if he wanted to get anything done, it couldn't be where they'd hear it crying. 

For a good half an hour, Roy drove and drove on, the streets practically empty at this hour of night. He went for the quiet side of the city, where there was the smallest amount of people, little to no people to witness his crime. They viewed it that way, Roy knew. Babies were precious and Roy agreed, children were wonderful things but the thing in the basket was not a baby. 

Finally, they reached their destination, Roy parking on an empty sidewalk and grabbing the handle of the basket as he walked ahead. The dumpsters were large and already full of trash, making Roy's job even easier. He could place it there and when it was emptied, it would be crushed under the weight of the garbage, it's cries silenced once and for all. 

Roy walked over to the foul smelling bins and lifted the basket, a deranged smile on his face. "You thought you won, didn't you? Take one host, get another. I'm not that stupid. And where you're going, you won't be getting some gullible idiots to do your bidding." He stared longer, lifting his arms before something made him pause. 

Doi had woken up at the smell, his face scrunching up momentarily and his arms lifting up as he yawned, shifting around in the basket and soon laid on his side. 

Roy stared, watched it turn to him and gaze back. "What are you doing?" He sharply inquired, not wanting to know what other tricks this freak of nature had up it's sleeve. 

Doi stared longer at his parent before he reached out his hands toward him, calling out in a way that wasn't a cry. It wasn't often his father was so close to him. "Ba!" 

Roy was slammed headfirst into a memory, remembering feeling a hand with Lilly. He remembered being surprised, his wife just as shocked and her being beyond ecstatic. He remembered her pulling him in close so he could hear the baby's heartbeat, telling her how much he was going to love him, how much fun they would have, how they would all go on a trip out to the country together. He remembered the happy, sunny day and how he'd truly believed there was a chance this wouldn't end in tragedy. 

Doi called out again, his hands trying to grab onto Roy as best they could. "Aaaa! Aaaaa!" He called out again, impatient to go back home, spend another day staring at the TV and his father. Roy was his whole world. 

"I'm not weak. I'm not weak enough to believe you're anything but a monster." It didn't stop the tears streaming down his face but it was all he could do to convince himself it wasn't the truth. For as much as he willed himself to despise it, Roy couldn't hate it. 

Lilly's old sketches and pictures on easels and pads and papers had all been put away with care. Every song she'd ever sung was stored away in Roy's mind, her guitar put away with all her belongings. All the photos had been left in their proper places, the various gifts given to her by a number of people throughout her life were boxed up and left in the closet. 

Doi was another doodle, another melody, another snapshot. Destroying him would be destroying something that Lilly had died for. Roy couldn't bring himself to get rid of the only thing still living and breathing that she'd made. He couldn't love Doi enough to care for him but he couldn't hate him enough to kill him. 

Roy slowly took the basket away from the bins and headed back to the car, his heart erratic and his face flushed. He couldn't keep it. But he knew where he could put it. 

A drive much shorter than the one before commenced and soon, they ended up at the gates of a building he'd passed only a handful of times on one of the trips out to the country Lilly had adored going on. Once again, Roy took out the basket but he set it down with some grace unto the porch. He then took out a notepad he always had on him, a habit from his work days where he'd always been using it and wrote down the basics. 

"This is Doi. His existence is responsible for the death of his mother and I, his father only in legality, want nothing to do with him. If anything occurs, don't go looking for me. Let someone else take care of the brat. 

\- Roy" 

Roy then put the note onto the basket and noticed the baby staring back at him again. "Good-bye, Doi. Have a nice life leeching off someone else." He didn't care anymore. It was clear the little urchin wasn't going to die by his hands and if that meant Roy lost, he couldn't will himself to give a shit. He'd already lost anything he cared about. 

"Bah!" Doi called back, not entirely sure of what was going on or why his Dad pressed a button on the door. He watched him walk away and out of Doi's sights and Doi couldn't help but panic, not wanting to be alone. 

Roy walked back up and into the truck, driving away as the door was opened by someone who worked there. He ignored the horrid ache in his chest and the sound of thunder, turning on the radio and tuning everything out as he headed back, ready to pack his things and leave. 

The sky darkened and turned a dark grey, rain pouring down as a basket handle was lifted to reveal a sobbing baby boy. 

•••

1 Year Later

"Happy birthday to you!" 

Doi stared at the candles on his big, pink cake with wide eyes, slightly intimidated but also drawn to the cake itself. He knew cake tasted yummy, he'd had it now on several occasions and was quite eager to go for another round of it and fall asleep covered in frosting. 

Robin blew on his noisemaker, the light red bits that moved with the song reminding him absently of the man beside the baby. "Yay! It's baby Doi's birthday!" He cheered, holding up the camera he'd taken out to document the occasion. 

Harry kept one hand on his baby boy and he other on his eager partner. "Calm down you two. Doi still has to blow out his candles." He reminded them both, looking over at Doi and marveling over how much he'd grown in their care. Doi was still small but now he was healthy, his skin no longer as pale and his eyes losing the bags they'd had from a non-existent sleep schedule and many days of crying. 

"Oh yes, that's right! I forgot in all my excitement!" Robin pointed to the burning candles, making a fake show of blowing them out so Doi would get the idea. "Alright, Doi! You have to blow out the candles yourself!" Of course Robin would help if it was too hard. He tended to help Doi with everything because his adopted son meant the entire universe to him. The duck set his camera on a nearby countertop and was pleased when it snapped, getting a picture of his family. 

Doi stared at the candles, unsure of what to do when he suddenly had a strange thought. He remembered a man who had skin like his, someone he hadn't seen in a long time. He loved Bubba and Da but he missed him too. He wished he could see him again. It was at this point that he saw Bubba blowing like a storm cloud and decided to try and do what he was doing. "Aaaa! Aaaaa! Fooo!" Doi was very surprised to see the glowing go away and be replaced by black smoke, clapping and cheering when his parents did the same. 

Thankfully, his wish wasn't granted for a long, long time.


End file.
